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Gudday
Enjoyed your construction Utube it was good. I also like the results that oven looks good ... I've tended to see a lot of pretty ugly cob constructions now that I have seen yours.... Beautiful oven
Which brings me to a question. You had a dedicated band of cob mixers .... Is it possible to do that cob mixing in a cement mixer?
Regards dave

Comment

cobblerdave, Sorry for taking so long to reply! We did use a mixer for the thermal layer of cob and could have used it in the sub floor which was a 25% fire clay to 75% sand mix. For the insulating layer of clay and redwood bark chips we ended up mixing it by hand. It kept wanting to stick to the paddles in the mixer and seemed more of a the it was worth. I think the hand mixing had the best results on that layer.

Comment

cobblerdave, Sorry for taking so long to reply! We did use a mixer for the thermal layer of cob and could have used it in the sub floor which was a 25% fire clay to 75% sand mix. For the insulating layer of clay and redwood bark chips we ended up mixing it by hand. It kept wanting to stick to the paddles in the mixer and seemed more of a the it was worth. I think the hand mixing had the best results on that layer.

Gudday thanks for the reply
I ask the question because of the cob construction I have seen usually involves a cast of thousand bare foot workers, the use of a cement mixer could bring that down to a one or two workers.
Regards Dave

Comment

cobblerdave, Sorry for taking so long to reply! We did use a mixer for the thermal layer of cob and could have used it in the sub floor which was a 25% fire clay to 75% sand mix. For the insulating layer of clay and redwood bark chips we ended up mixing it by hand. It kept wanting to stick to the paddles in the mixer and seemed more of a the it was worth. I think the hand mixing had the best results on that layer.

Yes, I found the same with trying to mix vermicrete in a mixer. It just sticks to the sides and paddles and makes cleaning it a bitch. Better to mix by hand. With a denser mix the mixer is ok but with insulating ones, not so.